Like Billy Joel, I'm movin' out....

Sorry I haven't updated in about a million years. That's my bad. I've found a new home for my humble little blog...mostly because wordpress allows me to have multiple pages on my site. So...if you're still interested in keeping up with me I'll be at http://www.gfalconeiri.wordpress.com. Love to see you there.

The curve

Today while writing a letter to my good friend in Texas, I started expressing something I didn't even realize had been on my mind so much. And in a surprisingly eloquent manner if I do say so myself. I like when this sort of thing happens because it helps reinforce my decision to be a writer. Anyway, here's the sentiment:

Less than a month and a half until I'm walking across the stage in a cap and gown. Weird. People my age from high school/middle school/other random places are getting married and having (or already have) babies. I'm trying to keep my own life in perspective and remind myself that I'm not behind the curve, and more importantly that the curve doesn't really exist. It can be tough sometimes to live your life simply by your own standards because as humans we tend to judge our successes and failures by the progress of those around us. I continuously try to remind myself that what a classmate does can be used to motivate me, but shouldn't (and doesn't) have any real bearing on my life.

Bam. Morning philosophy via letters between long distance pals.

My brush with fame

On Wednesday (3/17) I got the opportunity to interview Ben Folds before the show he played at the University of Florida. It was definitely the first time I've interviewed a pop star...and the first time I've had to deal with the whole publicist/scheduling monster I know a good percentage of journalists have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm really grateful for the chance to do this story, mostly because Ben is a brilliant human in addition to being a fantastic musician. However, it was also easily one of the more stressful stories I've ever worked on.

I understand that part of "the biz" is dealing with event organizers who may or may not (usually the latter) understand exactly what being a journalist and covering an event on deadline entails. I consider myself a fairly organized and professional individual, so it's hard for me to deal with others that don't take their job as seriously as I take mine. Sometimes it can be rather frustrating when you show up at a venue and there's no information about where to go or what is or isn't allowed. Similarly, I don't appreciate getting reamed by staff members at the location because communication hasn't happened.

Ultimately, the experience was positive. I met a musician I already admired and learned a lot more about him. I even squeezed a little over 12 minutes out of my publicist-given 10 minutes. I'll have the transcript and audio file for a good long time and I'm proud of the package (preview, interview and event coverage) I put together. Also, I gained a little insight into what this type of journalism entails. I now know that there are many components to making an event, and covering said event, go smoothly and these components are exacerbated when there is some form of celebrity involved.

I chalk it up to one more journalistic experience that will help me prepare for the professional arena. I just hope I can continue to add them as I inch ever closer to graduation.

Items to cross off

I've noticed that people tend to carry a list of things they want everywhere they go. Sometimes these desires are expressed in their day to day activities, and other times very few people know about them. The person that holds said desires might not even be fully aware of them.

Personally, my list is mostly mental with a few physical manifestations on a white board I keep above my desk, this blog and the other online personalities I maintain. I also tend to constantly divide it into subcategories. Attainable. Frivolous. Impossible. Simple pleasures. Rights. Hopes. Possibilities. And so on.

The items on the list also shift in importance and occasionally something will show up that hasn't surfaced in quite some time.

For example, a digital SLR camera. I very nearly purchased one of these on impulse during my photojournalism class here at the good ole U of F but managed to talk myself out of it. Recently the desire has come back with a vengeance, ironically at a time where I most definitely do not have funds to spend on any extra expenditures. Much less one that costs $600 minimum. File this under frivolous.

Also on the list, a journalism job in Boston. My moving there is set but what I do once I get there is about as uncertain as possible. This is a little bit more difficult to categorize because I know that it definitely is attainable, but sometimes all of the extras and steps leading up to this get a bit overwhelming. Add a subcategory of possibility and a dash of hope and I think we're about there.

Going back to South America. Attainable and in my mind a certainty. There is no way I will let this slip through my fingers.

My morning cup of coffee. An undeniable right as well as a simple pleasure. You don't want to see me without this. Trust me.

Peace of mind/time to relax. The most difficult to achieve by far, but due to a litany of reasons that are both situational and personal. I'm in a very transitional period of my life what with college graduation, the "real world" and a more than 1000 mile move on the horizon. These facts don't really lend themselves to down time, much less peace of mind. But there's also just my personality. I'm the kind of gal that, even if I'm not saying a word, my mind is constantly whirring, spinning and clicking so that if you peered inside my skull I'm sure it looks more like a machine in Willy Wonka's factory than anything else. This has to fit in nearly every category I mentioned. Attainable, I hope so. Right? Possibility? Possibly impossible? Time will tell. I promise I'll keep you all updated.

A blessing and a curse

Being at the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications has some very distinct positives and negatives, which are often one and the same. I'm lucky enough to surround myself with other students, journalists and professors who consistently achieve at a high level and make the other people they work with better by doing so. I think my writing benefits greatly by the teachings of professors at a top 10 school and the comments made by my fellow students, many of whom will become the reporters and editors of tomorrow's top selling publications.

This same benefit can take a nasty turn when I begin to compare myself (and my achievements) against others around me. Some of this is natural. Where are people supposed to create their benchmarks from if not from the environment around them? Sometimes, however, comparing myself to my classmates simply results in a spiral into inadequacy.

Before you start in on the alarmed reassurance, let me set a few things straight. I know I'm a good writer, I might even be better than good. I also know that, given the opportunity I will make my place in the journalism industry. Sometimes I second guess the decisions I've made, especially in the last semester. I chose to go to Argentina for five months indulging the part of me that always wanted to immerse myself in a Latin American culture. And I did just that. But that means journalism took a backseat for a good deal of time. I wrote sporadically in my blog, but nothing official. My semester abroad meant I didn't get a national-level internship and that my resume (to me) feels a little lack-luster.

And 90 percent of the time, I know this was the right decision for me. I may have a few less clips, and nothing I've written (so far) has run in a publication with a circulation of more than 50,000 or so but I'm making my peace with this. I try not to get down when I see other people's resume with lines saying they've written over 100 stories for the Alligator or their multiple internships but sometimes this is a little easier said than done.

Lucky for me though, I've already started developing my plan. I'm off to the greater Boston area in July and I have an excellent support system already in place. Not only are there people that tell me I will be successful, but are willing to do everything they can to facilitate my success. I may have to bartend for a while before I find my dream publication, but that's okay. I've started to look at a few different weekly Arts and Entertainment papers and I'm ready to make my first foray into the "real world."

I can do this, full resume or not.

Love on the day

So I looked for a couple of different quotes hoping I would find one that summarized what I thought love "really meant," but alas nothing. I guess it's because I still have no idea what love means. I'm cool with that. I think it exists in so many different forms and at all levels. All I know is that it's important...and everybody should love somebody (and, ideally, multiple somebodys).

Love your significant other, love your parents, love your roommates, love the guy who makes the perfect caramel latte for you, love the car that lets you out of a crowded parking lot, love your representation of God when it's a beautiful day, love the feeling of a job well done, love food, love music, love life.

And if you can't find something to make you love, make a Boyz II Men station on Pandora. It'll do the trick, promise.

<3

Love round 2

So this will be quick...but here's my musical contribution to love. I first discovered this song in the movie Paris Je'taime and I think it's just about the sweetest thing in the world.